


A School for Monsters

by fengirl88



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Darwin is Alive, Fluff and Crack, Growing Old Together, Inspired by Music, M/M, Mutant Husbands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-11
Updated: 2014-06-11
Packaged: 2018-02-04 06:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1769422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fengirl88/pseuds/fengirl88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So, how does it feel to see yourself in a musical?” Raven asks, as the house lights come up for the interval of <i>Avenue Q</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A School for Monsters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ginbitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginbitch/gifts), [Kate_Lear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_Lear/gifts).



> Written for the "Monsters" challenge at fan_flashworks; this one is for ginbitch and kate_lear, in happy memory of our outing to the musical in question.

“So, how does it feel to see yourself in a musical?” Raven asks, as the house lights come up for the interval of _Avenue Q_.

“What?” Charles says, as Hank bursts out laughing.

“Come on,” Raven says. “Kate Monster is totally you!”

Some people – misguided people – have occasionally called Charles Xavier naïve. Usually they find out the hard way how wrong they are. But no-one’s ever called him an _ingénue_ before.

“Oh really?” Charles says.

“Someone whose dream is to run a school for monsters?” Raven says. “It’s obvious.”

“A school for monsters,” Charles says. That _was_ how so many people thought of Xavier’s Academy for Gifted Youngsters, once upon a time. Decades of working to change society’s attitudes and humans' perceptions of mutants, and now it’s not a school for monsters any more. Except maybe in the old sense of _monster_ : something wondrous, something to marvel at.

“I’m right, aren’t I, Darwin?” Raven insists, but Armando’s already out of his seat and half way down the aisle.

“Going to get us all ice-creams,” Alex says, getting up to follow him. _And to dry his eyes, the big sap_ , Charles hears him thinking.

Charles isn’t surprised at that: he knows how proud Armando is of his youngest nephew, who’s finally getting his big acting break and bringing the house down as Gary Coleman. The young man has great musical talents as well as his uncle’s adaptive powers; he should go far. Fifty years ago, Charles couldn’t have imagined he’d ever see Darwin again, much less be sitting with him and Alex at the first fully integrated mutant-human production on Broadway.

So many changes, and one of the biggest changes of all is sitting right next to him. Another thing Charles couldn’t have imagined fifty or even forty years ago: that Erik Lehnsherr would be sharing his life, running the school with him, sharing his bed… He squeezes Erik’s hand, and Erik squeezes back.

 _You’re very quiet, my love_ , Charles sends him, and feels a wave of affection from Erik in return. _If I’m Kate Monster, does that make you Princeton?_

Princeton, the hero who’s lost and trying to find his purpose: it fits, in a way. Except that Erik already knew what his purpose was before they met, which was why Charles had ended up pulling him out of the ocean in the first place.

 _A life can hold more than one purpose,_ Erik says in his head. _If you live long enough_.

The image that accompanies the words brings a lump to Charles’s throat: it’s the new nameplate Erik made for the school last year, shining bright beside the door, and the two of them hand in hand, looking at it.

“Oh god, they’re off again,” Raven says, and rolls her eyes. “Telepathic smooching, I swear… How many times, Charles, it’s so _rude_ to do that with your husband in company.”

“Sorry,” Charles says, though they all know he’s nothing of the sort. “So, who are you two casting as Trekkie Monster?”

“Logan, of course!” Hank says, and dissolves into another spluttering fit of laughter, which lasts almost till Darwin and Alex get back with the ice-creams.


End file.
